It’s not common that a game comes around that absolutely exceeds your expectations and becomes a game that you’re grateful you were able to experience. That game for me was Kena: Bridge of Spirits.
You may be familiar with the title. It was originally released back in 2021 as a Playstation 5 exclusive. Which may lead you to ask, “why is someone writing a review for a game that came out 3 years ago?” and the reason is that this is a special Xbox release of the game, launching on the 15th of this month.
The Story
You play as Kena (pronounced Kay-nuh), a spirit guide on her way to visit the mountain shrine. She encounters a village that’s experienced great tragedy and decides to help out.
You’re introduced with the concept of the masks. When someone dies, a mask is made for them and placed at their grave. The mask is meant to slowly wilt away, symbolizing the spirit crossing over. When a spirit can’t come to terms with the tragedy in their life they stay in this realm and it causes corruption to grow in the world. The village elder gives Kena the masks and she uses them to find the spirits and help them process their grief.
Gameplay
As you play through the story you unlock more and more of the map. Similarly you can also gain access to smaller sections with the new abilities you learn. A familiar gameplay loop if you’ve ever played games in The Legend of Zelda series or any Metroidvania games.
In fact, Kena: Bridge of Spirits reminded me A LOT of a Zelda game in the way you solve puzzles and go through what feels like old-school, 3D Zelda style dungeons. Each of the 3 main sections of the map unlocks a specific ability needed to traverse that area and solve that area’s puzzles.
A Rotting World
From the very start you find these small creatures called “Rot”. They follow you around and help you perform certain tasks in the world as well as aid in combat.
There will be times where you’ll ask them to move a large rock so you can jump on it to get to a higher ledge or have them pull a switch you can’t reach. You’ll also use their help to remove the corruption in the world caused by the spirits.
Clik here to view.
There are 100 to collect in the game but you don’t need to ‘catch them all’ (although the more you have the better). Each certain amount you collect gains you a new “rot level” which opens up more ability options you can unlock as well as more slots so you can use those abilities more times without having to charge them back up again.
They’re also super adorable! When you collect new ones they smile and seem so happy. You can’t help but smile back. You can find little hats for them in treasure chests throughout the world and getting to equip each little rot with an equally tiny hat is so much fun.
The very first one you find sits on your shoulder throughout this adventure and you can press a button to sit down and pet/hug it during moments of calm.
Clik here to view.
Combat
The combat seems simple at first but increases in complexity as you gain abilities throughout the story. As you play, the variety of enemies also increases. This requires you to employ the new abilities you gain in a number of different ways (such as using the bow/arrow to fight flying enemies).
Enemies don’t necessarily just prop up anywhere in the game, instead you enter what equates to a battle arena. In this space you need to fight a certain amount of enemies in order to unlock the option to cleanse the area. Once an area is cleansed you won’t see an enemy there ever again.
Rot play into the combat by essentially turning your regular attacks into super attacks. By pressing
My only complaint is that the combat can get a bit repetitive from time to time but for what it’s worth it’s still enjoyable.
Side Quests and Collectibles
Other than the main quest there are multiple side quests you can do as well as plenty of collectibles to find. Most of the side quests are in the form of accessing homes in the village that’s been blocked off by corruption. The mailbox in front of the houses can be interacted with to display a hint at what the quest involves. Typically this involves finding some form of mail in the world and delivering it to said mailbox. Clearing out the home of enemies allows you to gather the loot inside.
There are also plenty of chests and containers hidden throughout the world. You’ll find currency, more rot friends, and hats for them as you explore every nook and cranny of the map.
The spirit trials allow you to complete different challenges for rewards like currency or collectibles. You can collect new outfits for Kena this way to change up her appearance. It even changes her look in the cutscenes which is cool.
There are meditation spots you can find as well that will increase your maximum health. They pop up randomly in your travels and after each major bossfight fight.
Clik here to view.
Performance
I played Kena: Bridge of Spirits on an Xbox Series X. My system had no issues consistently playing this at 4K/60fps and it’s an absolutely beautiful game.
There are moments where the game has to load and it does go to a loading screen but you’re there less than a second or two and then right back into gameplay.
I never once experienced a crash or really any notable bugs and that’s quite impressive.
My Overall Impression
I completed Kena: Bridge of Spirits in about 11 hours but there’s still so much to explore and I could still play it for hours to come. There’s also a new game+ mode where you get to keep your abilities and a lot of what you collected and start the game anew.
Without a doubt, this is a game worth playing. It absolutely surprised me and exceeded any expectations that I had. It has a beautiful narrative that had me feeling incredibly emotional multiple times.
Clik here to view.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is available on Playstation 5 and Steam and will release on Xbox on August 15th.
Gamer Social Club was provided a code for Kena: Bridge of Spirits on Xbox by the publisher for review purposes.
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